Bio: Montieth, Robert Henry (1881)

Contact: crystal@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Montieth, Riley, Cortes

----Source: History of Northern Wisconsin (Eau Claire County, Wis.) 1881, pages 328-329

ROBERT HENRY MONTEITH, Eau Claire, was born in County Tyrone, Ireland (of pure Scotch descent), Aug. 16, 1825, and came to America, with his parents, when three years of age, locating in Montreal, where they remained until the Patriot war, when they moved to Highgate, Franklin Co., Vt. Mr. Monteith learned the trade of millwright, at Hyde's Falls, in the town of Highgate before he was fifteen years old. In October, 1843, he came to Janesville, and January 1, 1844, went to Jefferson and built a small saw-mill for Darling & Kendall; in 1854, he went to Richland County, and in 1859 came to the town of Eau Claire, now Washington, and engaged in farming. In 1863, he sold out and cleared another farm in Chippewa County, eight miles west of Chippewa Falls. In 1869, he came to the village of Eau Claire, where he has since remained, excepting a year, in which he lived in Pulaski, Mo. He worked at his trade most of the time until 1876, when he began working on his patent threshing machine, the " Badger State Economist," which was patented Feb. 14, 1879, and is acknowledged to be the most perfect machine now in use; it is manufactured by J. G. Thorp, J. F. Gilbert, Chapman and W. A. Rust, they having a contract and paying to Mr. Monteith a royalty. Mr. Monteith was married in the town of Summit, Waukesha Co., March 25, 1850, to Marylane Riley, who was born in Canada. They have four children living — Emma Jane, Joseph Samuel, William Arthur and Rosetta. While in Chippewa County, Mr. Monteith was Justice of the Peace two years, and Clerk of a school district for six. He is a member of the Temple of Honor. Mr. Monteith's father, Joseph Monteith, was born in Scotland, and died in Richland Co., Wis., in April, 1864. His mother, Jane (Cortes) Monteith, was born in Ireland, of Scotch parents, and died in Jefferson County, in December, 1852.